Chapter 166: The Hero Association's Attack Deployment
A City, Hero Association HQ, Operations Room.
Sitch listened anxiously to Maria and Coulson's report. The tenacity of the unknown giant far exceeded their imagination. In terms of offensive power, the unknown giant could only be considered average, but its unexpected regenerative ability left them completely helpless.
Judging from the information sent back from Tanktop Master and Tatsumaki, even A-Class heroes could easily inflict heavy damage on the enemy. However, while they could win a fight, they couldn't win a war of attrition. The continuous assault left the members of the hero team exhausted. The moment they stopped attacking, the giant would revert to its original state and wreak havoc on City D, smashing through everything like a bulldozer as it pushed deeper inland.
Maria furrowed her delicate brows, biting her lip as she said, "Director, our disaster assessment was wrong. The unknown giant's true disaster level should be Dragon."
The standard for a Dragon-level disaster is a threat capable of destroying multiple cities. And although the unknown giant hadn't displayed any extraordinary offensive power, its freakish regenerative ability elevated its disaster level by several notches. Even Tatsumaki, considered the Hero Association's ultimate weapon, was helpless against it. If left unchecked, it would lead to the destruction of nearby towns in a short period. It had already reached the level of a Dragon-level disaster.
"Let's put aside the disaster level for now. What we need to consider is how to eliminate this unknown giant." Sitch leaned forward, his hands braced on the office desk, and looked gravely at his colleagues. "Everyone here is an elite of the Hero Association, gathered to fight for world peace. Right now, we are facing a great challenge. I hope you will all rack your brains and think carefully—is there any way to completely eliminate this Mysterious Being?"
"According to scientific principles, living organisms are composed of tiny particles, like molecules and atoms..."
"Hey, hey, stop arguing! This Mysterious Being clearly defies our understanding of science. Don't waste time on useless nonsense."
"Only by figuring out the biological principle behind the unknown giant's regenerative ability can we devise a targeted countermeasure. Otherwise, we're just fumbling in the dark—relying on luck."
The Hero Association staff in the operations room whispered amongst themselves, discussing spiritedly, but even after a long time, they couldn't come up with a viable plan.
Coulson frowned and said, "Director, until we find a way to permanently deal with the unknown giant, I think we should dispatch a few more S-Class heroes to halt its advance. We need to intercept it within City D to prevent further property damage and casualties."
"Mm." Sitch nodded grimly. "King, Silverfang, Puri-Puri Prisoner, and Child Emperor are gathered in City F. They can form a new hero team to relieve the exhausted Tanktop Master and Tatsumaki and stop the giant from advancing further. Coulson, you're in charge of notifying them."
"Understood."
Maria thought for a moment and said, "Director, based on the reports from Tanktop Master and Tatsumaki's battle with the unknown giant, it seems the giant can recover in an instant even when its entire body is shattered. I think the reason it won't die is that we haven't attacked its core... Could we possibly send Metal Knight? He could attack the giant with his powerful modern firepower, incinerating it completely, not even leaving a single cell behind. Do you think that might be able to eliminate it?"
Sitch's eyes lit up. "That plan might just work." However, the thought of the maverick Metal Knight immediately gave him a headache. Metal Knight possessed countless modern weapons and immense firepower. Unfortunately, under normal circumstances, Metal Knight never proactively attacked Mysterious Beings unless it was to test a new weapon, or if the Hero Association invited him to battle with sufficient "sincerity."
And this sincerity, of course, was money—commonly known as an appearance fee.
Coulson took a deep breath. "Director, I'll go persuade him... to give a discount."
"Alright. You're usually the one who communicates with him, so you have a better relationship. Hopefully, he'll do you a favor." Sitch rubbed his forehead, exasperated. "Just in case, remember to notify King and the others at the same time to act as backup. If Metal Knight fails, they can stop the unknown Mysterious Being in time. Also, dispatch one of our aircraft to pick up King's group and take them directly to City D. The situation is urgent; don't waste any time on the road."
"Yes, I understand." Coulson nodded in agreement before turning to make the call.
Sitch continued, "Maria, request satellite surveillance from the government. We need to monitor the unknown giant's movements and the heroes' battle status at all times, so we can adjust our attack strategies and deployments as needed."
"Understood."
...
City F.
King, Bang, and the others stared blankly at Child Emperor as he announced the Hero Association's decision. "So much for our vacation."
Child Emperor licked his lollipop and said with a grin, "The world is in danger, after all. As S-Class heroes, we have to take responsibility. The Mysterious Being that appeared this time is quite special. It has low attack and low defense, but it possesses heaven-defying regenerative abilities. Even if it's blown to pieces, it can still recover to its original, undamaged state. Its power doesn't even drop in the slightest. It's extremely tenacious. Tanktop Master and Terrible Tornado are in a fierce battle with it now. They've destroyed the Mysterious Being into dust several times, but it still recovers in the blink of an eye. They're completely unable to eliminate the Mysterious Being. The Hero Association has notified us to take over for Tanktop Master and Terrible Tornado, who have been fighting for a long time, and stop the Mysterious Being's advance."
Even Tatsumaki couldn't beat it? It's that tenacious?
King hesitated for a moment and said, "I have..."
Child Emperor grinningly cut off King's excuse. "Uncle King, Uncle Sitch gave special instructions. He said you absolutely must put aside all other miscellaneous matters and prioritize the elimination of the unknown giant."
The corner of King's mouth twitched. "..." *And here I was, thinking I could get out of this.*
"Everyone get ready. The people picking us up will be here soon. Also, I've already informed Miss Yali that we're ending our vacation early and heading back."
Child Emperor, this little shota, was so precocious, handling everything with such clarity that it left everyone speechless.
"So smart... careful you don't find a loli."
King silently cursed Child Emperor in his heart.
Child Emperor wasn't lying. The driver from the Hero Association arrived quickly and personally drove them to a nearby airport to catch a flight to City D.
...
City B, Bofoy's Laboratory.
Metal Knight and Coulson were in the middle of heatedly haggling, only stopping when they reached a price that satisfied both parties.
"A Dragon-level Mysterious Being, with the offensive power of an average Demon-level, and super-freakish regenerative abilities..."
Metal Knight mulled over the data on the unknown giant that Coulson had sent, lost in thought. "To completely burn such an enormous giant to ashes would require immense firepower. Should I drop an atomic bomb?"
After a moment of thought, he knew which of his robot squads to deploy. His usual favorites, like rockets, would surely be unable to incinerate the Mysterious Being completely. He decided to deploy his never-before-seen incendiary bomb squad, equipped with his latest self-developed solid-fuel incendiary missiles. Once these missiles attached to a body, if not extinguished in time, they would burn the entire physique into a pile of ash. They were perfectly suited for dealing with the unknown giant.
(end of chapter)